weathering Flashcards
3.1-3.4
what is sediment
sediments comprise loose fragments of rocks or minerals, shells and shell fragments, or mineral crystals that precipitate out of water
how are sediments produced
sediment is produced by weathering
sediment covers bedrock in
variable thicknesses
what is weathering
weathering refers to the combination of processes that break up and corrode solid rock, and may eventually transform it in to loose debris or detritus
in the pipe cleaner analogy
physical weathering is a drain snake
chemical weathering is drano
physical weather is also known as
mechanical weathering
boulder size
> 256mm
cobble size
65-256mm
pebbles size
3-64mm
sand size
1/16-2mm
silt size
1/256-1/16mm
mud size
<1/256mm
what does physical weathering do
breaks intact rocks in to unconnected clasts
what is jointing
rocks buried deep endure enormous pressure and temperature
these rocks can be exhumed
the resulting change in P and T can cause the rock to change shape
natural cracks are known as joints
sedimentary rock jointing
planar vertical joints